“Robin?”
“Nikki.”
“Hey, it’s great to hear from you!”
“Listen, can you get together?” Robin said. “I really need to talk.”
“DO YOU THINKshe’ll like this?” Nicola said. She opened a red velvet box and showed Robin a necklace—an aquamarine heart on a delicate silver chain. The two of them were in a Starbucks on Madison Avenue, a few blocks away from where she’d been shopping when Robin had called her, asking if they could meet.It just so happens, I’m in your area, Nicola Crane had said.I’m just buying a little something for your mom, you know. To cheer her up.
The necklace glittered against a white satin pillow. Aquamarine was her mother’s favorite, her birthstone. She had an aquamarine pinkie ring, worn as long as Robin had known her. And the necklace itself... it reminded her of something she’d seen in Mom’s secret box—a plastic heart on a string, that same blue-green color. “She will love it.”
“Oh good,” she said. “Maybe the blue stone will take her mind off all the Blue Meanies.”
“Blue Meanies?”
“You know. The cops.” She shrieked with laughter. Several customers turned to stare. Robin was tempted to laugh along with her, but she couldn’t. Not after what she’d found.
“Hey, what’s wrong?”
“I thought we were friends.”
Nicola frowned at her. “Of course we are.”
“Well, where I come from, friends don’t keep important information from each other.”
Robin removed the Weekly Weird News column from her purse and handed it to her. And then she waited for her to get to the third paragraph—the one that described a young police officer named Nicola Crane who had posted the bail for Kathleen Sharkey, the mad wax figure thief.Kate’s a good friend, Officer Crane had said back then.She’s a good person. She’s just going through a difficult time.Nicola looked up from the page, her expression calmer than Robin had expected.
“All right. You got me. I knew Garrison’s mother.”
“How?”
“She helped me out when I was young. Got me into foster care. We spoke occasionally as grown-ups. I tried to help her... Look, I haven’t brought it up with anyone because I don’t want word getting around. Poor thing can’t rest in peace even as it is.”
“Did my mom know her?”
“You’ll have to ask her,” she said. “But I’ll tell you one thing. That son of Kate’s was a handful and then some. Pretty much scared me off having kids of my own.”
“What was so bad about him?”
“He was always sneaking out. Never minding her. Got into fights at school all the time, and not because he got picked on. He was just... mean. His mother was endlessly upset by him. Endlessly disappointed.”
“Couldn’t he have been acting out to get her attention?”
“First of all, Kate was a single mother working two jobs while battling an addiction. She gave him all the attention she possibly could.” She took another sip of her drink, cringing this time. “Also, as someone whose parents died when she was very young, I’d have killed for half the attention that little brat got.” She cleared her throat. “Screw it if that sounds harsh.”
Robin took a swallow of her coffee. “Really?”
“Okay, think about this,” Nicola said. “I probably saw Quentin Garrison at least half a dozen times, and I was in contact with Kate right up until he was a young teenager. And I know we all age, but when he approached me after the funeral, I recognized him instantly. He, on the other hand, had no idea who I was. I know I look different than I did fifteen years ago. But I have the same friggin’ name, and it didn’t even register with him. Now if that isn’t the dictionary definition of narcissism...” She took another wincing sip. “God, this latte should be a criminal offense.”
“You want some of my coffee?”
“Yes, please.” Nicola took a sip. “Nothing like getting a bad taste out of your mouth.”
Robin gazed at the opened red velvet box, the necklace inside, sparkling serenely. “How long are you in town for, Nikki?”
“Just a few more days. My dog-sitter says they’re about to mutiny.”
AS ROBIN WALKEDback to her office, she thought of what Nicola had said, and of what she hadn’t said back: Not remembering someone you’ve seen several times isn’t the dictionary definition of narcissism. Some people simply have bad memories for names.
